Category Archives: Nissan Concepts

Earlier this year, Nissan pulled the covers off one of its most innovative concept models to date: the Nissan Armada Mountain Patrol SUV. The unveiling was held at the Overland Expo WEST, which is an event all about rugged exploring off the beaten path, which is a perfect match for this off-road-ready SUV.

The upgraded Nissan Armada includes a number of features that make it more suitable to an outdoor adventure. Key features on the Nissan Armada Mountain Patrol concept include a Warn Zeon Platinum 12S Winch, an IF Signs custom wrap, large Calmini rock sliders and bumpers, and Baja Designs XL80 lights. The most innovative feature, however, is the Cascadia Vehicle Tents roof-mounted tent, which lets the driver and passengers — up to four adults — camp out on top of the Armada. For added wow factor, the tent features an awning from Rhino Racks. The Armada concept also includes a second tent (for the ground), sleeping bags, and chairs — just in case you’re traveling with more than four people, since the Armada can fit up to eight.

“For those family adventure fans who aren’t familiar with the term ‘overlanding,’ all they need to do is look at the Armada Mountain Patrol to understand that this is not glamping, not a day trip to the local forest — it’s adventure taken to new heights,” remarked Brandon White, director, Chief Marketing Manager, Nissan North America, Inc. “The Nissan Armada, with its rugged platform, best-in-class 390-horsepower 5.6-liter V8 engine, 8,500-pound towing capacity, and massive interior and cargo space, is an ideal starting place to build an authentic overlanding vehicle.”

Unfortunately, the Armada Mountain Patrol is just a concept vehicle for now, but you can test drive the 2018 Nissan Armada here at Bates Nissan.

Nissan is one of the industry’s leading automakers, especially when it comes to innovation. There are a number of Nissan concept and future vehicles in the works, including models like the Vmotion 2.0 Concept, Titan Warrior, IDS Concept, Frontier Diesel Runner, and IDx Concept. Combining the latest technologies with fine-tuned engineering, the lineup of Nissan concept cars is both extensive and impressive.

According to Nissan, the Vmotion 2.0 Concept is the future of Nissan automotive design. Unveiled during the 2018 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January, the 2.0 Concept has a ProPILOT autonomous driving system that can traverse heavy traffic, tight urban streets, and open roads. There’s also a stunning three-dimensional front design and sharp contours, setting the Vmotion apart from other vehicles.

Truck lovers will enjoy the TITAN Warrior Concept, a bold pickup that has a truly aggressive look, off-road components, and a tuned Cummins® Turbo Diesel engine. The “armored” exterior has sharp lines, durable skid plates, and a quad-tipped exhaust. There are also fat tires, a custom off-road suspension, and a tuned heavy-duty Aisin transmission.

Finally, the IDx Freeflow and IDx NISMO® have very distinct designs and components. The exterior of the Freeflow is refined, sophisticated, and strikingly retro—a callback to older generations. Meanwhile, the NISMO® version is incredibly sporty, with a race-tuned chassis and a box-shaped look.

Other great cars include the fuel-sipping Frontier Diesel Runner and the bold IDS Concept. We at Bates Nissan, we can’t wait to see what the brand comes up with next.

While times are changing and electric vehicles aren’t necessarily still associated with the strange-looking, niche cars of yesteryear, “zero emissions” still isn’t a phrase you’d expect to hear in the same sentence as “high performance.” Nissan is hoping to dispel that stereotype by introducing a new kind of sports car to the world. The Nissan BladeGlider prototype, which debuted recently in Rio de Janeiro, features a full-electric battery powertrain with emphasis on dynamic handling and powerful performance.

Nissan first showed off similar concept cars back in 2013 at the Tokyo Auto Show. The Nissan BladeGlider is the fruit of those labors, employing a philosophy Nissan is calling Intelligent Mobility to optimize driving pleasure and sporty capability while drastically reducing environmental impact. The aerodynamic shape and silent engine make for an enjoyable ride, and while the BladeGlider is strikingly futuristic, something similar may not be too far off from mass-market production.

The Nissan BladeGlider prototype follows in the footsteps of the Nissan LEAF, the most popular zero-emissions vehicle in the world. With the company also working on autonomous driving technology and increasing their efforts in the realm of environmental responsibility, the innovation of the Nissan BladeGlider seems like a natural development for Nissan. No announcements have surfaced about whether or not this vehicle will eventually be redesigned for a mainstream market and greenlit for production, but Nissan seems to be pursuing this concept long-term.

Last year, the Juke Nismo RSnow swapped its wheels for tracks and took on arctic challenges in Lapland, Finland. This year, the Nissan Rogue Warrior is doing something similar, except this time a little closer to home, in Canada. Here at Bates Nissan, we understand that we are not as affected by the winter season as much of the rest of the country. That doesn’t mean we don’t think this snow machine is super fierce!

A Quebecois company called Motorsports in Action fitted the Rogue with a Dominator track system to allow it to tackle the snowpocalypse. To make the system work, the group increased the ground clearance, adjusted the suspension, and widened the fenders, but few other changes were needed. According to Nissan, the powertrain was unchanged, and the Rogue Warrior could climb a 45-degree incline and reach 62 miles per hour.

The vehicle is shown off in a new video, in which it tows several people up a ski slope, and—why the heck not—heads back down with them. Going down a ski slope in a crossover equipped with Dominator tracks? There’s no way that’s not going on our bucket list at Bates Nissan.

If only Mulder and Scully could see this – a glowing leaf is out there!

In a revelation sure to impress the X-files detectives themselves, Nissan disclosed its newest exciting innovation; the glow-in-the-dark Nissan Leaf. While third party manufacturers have produced luminous paints and car wraps, Nissan is the first car company to fabricate an actual incandescent vehicle.

In an effort to symbolize the Leaf’s energy-converting EV capabilities, Nissan partnered with Hamish Scott, the inventor of glow-in-dark pavement, to create the glowing paint – fittingly – named Starpath. Comprised of a secret formula of organic materials and the biologically inert chemical Strontium Aluminate, the paint is able to absorb the ultraviolet energy from the sun during the day and convert it to light that shines 8-10 hours during the night. If commercially made, the glow-paint could last for up to 25 years.

While this illuminating paint is not –yet- available to the public, stay tuned to Bates Nissan for Starpath updates, and be sure to come visit us to see all of the newest –out there – innovations that Nissan has to offer!

Auto show season is upon us once more, and Nissan is stretching its influence all across the world—not just in North America. For example, Nissan recently debuted a new vehicle at the Sao Paulo International Auto Show. The Nissan Kicks Concept was actually designed to specifically reflect the lives and spirit of the people of Brazil, so Sao Paulo was the perfect spot for the car to be unveiled.

“This concept is a product of global collaboration, but it was inspired by the streets of Brazil and designed for its people,” said Mamoru Aoki, Executive Design Director of Nissan’s Global Design Strategy Department. The Concept vehicle sought inspiration from the contrasting color schemes in Brazil—cool, metallic urban tones in Sao Paulo and vibrant color in Rio.

The new Concept might have been designed in Brazil, but that doesn’t mean it’s only meant for Brazil, as Taro Ueda, Vice President of Nissan Design America, noted. “It’s not only just for the Brazilian market, but we capture the idea of Brazil and then we apply it to our global design improvement, making a stronger design lineup for future Nissan designs,” said Ueda. Here at Bates Nissan, we’re looking forward to seeing how the Concept and its design principles make their way into vehicles in our showrooms—and we’re sure you are too! So come see us today.

Every so often, when a concept car is introduced at an auto show, its reception is so great that the carmaker decides to put it into production. For the IDX Freeflow and IDX NISMO concept cars, this is exactly what happened. Soon after the unveiling of these unique, chunky sports cars, Nissan executive vice president, Andy Palmer, announced that one version will definitely be put into production.

Though the concept car is intimidating as is, Motor Authority says that the Japanese carmaker is considering an even more aggressive look for the production IDX, taking influences from the Sport Sedan concept that was unveiled at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. With this influence, the IDX is sure to take a turn towards a more modern appearance, rather than the retro look of the IDX concept cars.

Production for the new IDX-influenced sports car is said to begin in 2017, meaning it will likely be a 2018 model if sold in the U.S. While that might seem like a long time, Bates Nissan still has plenty of sexy, fast cars to keep you occupied, so make sure you stop in to our dealership today!

After making their worldwide debuts at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, both the Nissan GT-R NISMO and the BladeGlider concept made the trip over to Europe for the Geneva Motor Show. The show, which is close to powering down now— its last day will be March 16—unites the present and future of racing and performance car technology for Nissan.

The GT-R NISMO, which is Nissan’s fastest ever GT-R, makes use of a 3.8L twin-turbocharged V6 to set a record time at the Nurburgring racetrack for production cars. Already one of the best performance-driven supercars available, now with NISMO capability, the GT-R is now even better. It revs up to 186 mph, gripping the road tightly via its advanced aerodynamics.

While the GT-R NISMO represents the present of Nissan’s performance technology capability, the sleek and different BladeGlider Concept gives us a glimpse of what the future will be like. A unique three-wheel design, wide in the back and tapering to a point in the front, the BladeGlider looks like nothing else you’ve ever seen. At Bates Nissan, we can’t wait to see how Nissan uses technology from the BladeGlider and GT-R NISMO both to create amazing new performance vehicles in the future.

North American International Auto Show is the event, Detroit, Michigan is the place, and the Nissan Sport Sedan Concept is the main attraction. This new concept was revealed earlier this week at the NAIAS, and it is showing off great style and attraction.

“Our new design direction mirrors the strength, power, and capabilities of the engineering and innovation that serves as the foundation of every Nissan vehicle,” said Shiro Nakamura, Nissan’s Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer.

Giving a sporty edge to sedans is something that Nissan likes to challenge themselves at, and the Nissan Sport Sedan Concept is no different. With its slick, smooth style and low, hunkered down stance, the Nissan Sport Sedan takes a four-door sports car to the next level.

Also included in the design is the “floating roof” which makes it seem as if there is nothing above the driver and passenger. The boomerang lights added to the Sport Sedan concept really helps to give the front a mean-looking attitude, and Nissan loves it.

“When you look at how gorgeous that vehicle is, the lines, the styling of that vehicle, inside and out, the interior and exterior, I think that would definitely be a halo and a huge kudo for our brand and our brand image and our relevance in the brand market place,” said Frank M. Diaz, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Nissan.

A lot of people agree that this vehicle is giving us a great glimpse into what the newest Maxima is going to look like, and we couldn’t be happier with that! Bates Nissan is anxious to see what other ideas and sporty sedans Nissan will think of next!